By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, August 30, 2024 | 11:09 PM
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Classic ingredients can go a long way on a high school football Friday night.
Running game. Defense. Special teams. Mix them up, and it’s a winning recipe.
Franklin Regional did that to hold back a Hempfield team that was inspired by the return of its quarterback, winning 49-26 on Friday at Spartan Stadium.
Kyle Dupill rushed for 107 yards and three touchdowns, the Panthers (2-0) got a kickoff-return touchdown and the defense forced four turnovers, including a pick-6.
Don’t forget Joey Bayne’s strong leg. He made sure it was a night of touchdowns and touchbacks.
He put every kickoff into the end zone for the second week in a row.
“I should probably try to be less pessimistic, but we made a ton of mistakes,” Panthers coach Lance Getsy said. “If we expect to be one of the top teams and be great, we have to clean some things up.
“I just know what we’re capable of with the athletes we have.”
Hempfield (0-2), which has lost 11 in a row, welcomed back quarterback Dom Detruf, who was been limited in practice because of myocarditis, a heart condition. He was medically cleared Wednesday and showed few ill effects from not being allowed to run or have contact in practice.
He completed 18 of 38 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns.
“That’s the type of kid he is,” Hempfield coach Nick Keefer said. “He did everything the doctors asked of him. A lesser kid may have tried to rush it back or not listen to what doctors said.”
Quarterback Chase Lemke threw for 102 yards in the win for the Panthers.
Franklin Regional put together a 13-play, 68-yard drive to open the scoring, with Lemke scoring from the 1.
Hempfield responded behind Detruf, who delivered a 65-yard touchdown strike to Nick Marquis on his third attempt, but the extra point was blocked by Elijah Bennett and it was 7-6.
The Panthers continued to be productive on the ground with Dupill, who capped a seven-play drive with a 1-yard score to give the Panthers a 14-6 advantage early in the second quarter.
Dupill added another short scoring run to make it 21-6.
“We came out throwing the ball, because they stacked the box,” Lemke said. “We were able to flip a switch and run the ball. Kyle’s an animal.”
Hempfield lost a fumble late in the first half, but Franklin Regional could not convert it into points. Bayne’s 45-yard field-goal try was short.
Offense was plentiful early in the second half.
Detruf came out throwing and hit Aidan Stinebiser for a 3-yard score to trim it to 21-13.
His connection with Henry Mutschler went for 42 yards to set up the score.
But just as quickly as Hempfield scored, Franklin Regional answered — in a big way.
Jaymier Austin took the ensuing kickoff, dashed toward an opening and went 82 yards for a touchdown.
That made it 28-13.
“We didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we were given,” Keefer said. “Franklin Regional is great team. We’re a good team, we have the athletes. We just have to get better, coaches included.”
Dupill added his third rushing score to push it to 34-13 late in the third.
“Our line played really well,” Dupill said. “I got into a rhythm.”
More from Detruf, who continued to sling it. Still in the third, he launched a 42-yard score to Stinebiser to make it a 15-point game.
“We didn’t quit,” Keefer said.
Lemke went to the air to give the Panthers a more comfortable cushion. His 15-yard score to Austin Kerns to make it 42-20 with 6 minutes, 36 seconds remaining.
“Our defense gets after people,” Getsy said. “They tried to take away the run. Chase has command of the offense, and you see how Kyle can run the ball.”
Darwin Jones capped the scoring with 24-yard interception-return touchdown.
Backup quarterback Carden Lippman threw a 27-yard score to Troy Sebring late for the Spartans.
Jack Silvis and Kerns had first-half sacks, and Bennett added an interception for Franklin Regional.
Jackson Humes and Ethan Zontek had sacks for Hempfield.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Franklin Regional, Hempfield
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